Electrical connecting means



June 13, 1950 T.'FINIZIE ELECTRICAL commune MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 18, 1947 v June l3 1950 1'. FINIZIE v ELECTRICAL CONNECTING MEANS Filed June 18, 1947 2 Shuts-Sheet 2 3mm G 'fi gb Patented June 13, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL CONNECTING S Finizie, Bridgeport, Conn.

Application June 18, 1947, "Serial 'No. 755,321

8 Claims. 51 invention relates to electrical connecting means, and is especially applicable to connecting plugs used in connection with flexible conducting cords which supply current to household appliances and the like.

In the use of the appliance, for example an iron, there is considerable wear on the cord due to the flexing 'or twisting to which the cord is subjected in use, and there considerable wear on the connector plug due to the strains to which it is subjected.

One of the objects of the invention is to reduce the wear on the cord and on the connector plug, and to provide a connection between the cord and plug which will withstand heavy .pulling strains without injury and relieve the strains on the plug.

Another object is to provide a connecting ,plug or like member connected to a cord or cable in a manner to prevent sharp bending of the electrical conductors in places near the region where the cord or cable enters the plug, and a further object is to provide a structure in which the user of the article will in most cases detach the cord by manipulation such that the cord will have a long life.

In the the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a face view of a connecting .plug embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge view;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing one of the casing sections removed;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the upper part of Fig. 3, certain parts being shown in section;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

.Fig. 6 is a section :on line 66 of Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is a section :on line :l--'| of 4;

Fig. 8 is a detail face view of the swinging or rocking member of the plug, the electrical connections being omitted;

Fig. 9 is an end view 'of the member just trelerred to; and

Figs. 10 and .11 are detail views showing one of the wire coils used in the plug.

In the form shown in the drawings, the connector plug has a generally rectangular and flat- -tened casing constructed'in'two sections, and provided within the lower part with contact terminals which are of hollow form so as to receive the connecting prongs provided on the electrical appliance, for example .a pressing iron. The plug also comprises in its structure a swinging member having a pivot pin received within a hollow top portion with which the casing is provided, said pivot .pin being joined rigidly to a part in, the

173332-) 2 nature of a handle projecting to the outside of the casing and operating in a cut-away portion or recess the top of the casing, which cut-away portion sor recess is adapted to limit the movement of the movable member in the manner hereinafter described. .The :exteriorly projecting part or handle on the movable member is .hollow so as .to receive the conductor cord, and the conductor cord enters the plugthrough this part, and has its individual wires separated in a location within the casing, the separated wires being attached to the pivot pin, and suitable electrical connections being provided between these wires and the stationary contact members within the lower part of the :cas'ing,:so that the movable member of .the plug can haveswini in' movement in the use of the plug without subjecting the terminal members of "the plug tostrain or injury. The separated wires scoming Efrem the cord pass through openings provided within the pivot pin and are held in place by means such as screws that are carried by the pivot pin and arereadily accessible, and these screws are respectively connected with the lower terminals of the plug by wires in the form of coils, the coils being in embracing relation tothe ends of the .p'ivot'pin, and :said coils providing a satisfactory form of flexible connection between the terminals and the swinging "or rocking member of the plug. The latter .member'redu'ces the strains on the device in the manner hereinafter described.

In the drawings, thecasing indicated at 20., the conductor cordat 12:], the swinging member pivotallymounted in the casing at 22, said memher :having the pivot pin 23 and the handle 24, and shaving the longitudinal .bore 25 receiving the conductor. The portion of casing 20 which receives the pivot pin is indicated :at 2'5, and the opening in the top portion :of the :casing through which handle member 24 projects is indicated at :27. 30118 cf the rsecti'onscf the casing is indicated at :28 and the ether .at 29, these sections being interconnected :by screws (it. The socketed terminals in the lower part of the casing are indicated at M and :32, these being connected respectively to the wire coils '33 and 34., and said coils being respectively connected to screws '35 and '36 that are screwed into sockets in the pivot pin and are respectively connected to the wires 31 and 38 branched off from the .cord. The wire coils 33 and 34, as shown in Fig. 6, are disposed around the end portions of the pivot pin.

Referring to the details, the casing 20 is generally shallow and lfiat, and has the elongated tubular upper part 39 receiving the pivot pin 23,

the latter being cylindrical and adapted to turn within the casing portion 39 on an axis disposed transversely of the casing, the arrangement being such that the handle member 24 can move in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the casing, but to a limited extent only, this movement being limited by the edges of the aperture 21. As shown in Fig. 1, the width of the aperture 21 issuch as to prevent any substantial movement of :the handle member 24 longitudinally of the axis of the pivot pin, but, as shown in Fig. 2, the handle member can swing forwardly or rearwardly to a position in which it is at an acute angle to the general plane of the casing, being capable of a movement from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 to the positers the wire coil 33 and serves to center and seat the wire coil, the external surface of which lies in substantial contact with the casing, the casing, of course, being of suitable insulating material. The extension 52 is generally C-shaped, the gap in the extension being located at the upper forward side (Figs. 4 and 5), so as to facilitate the introduction of the plate 48 into the slotted portion 5|. That end of the coil 33 which is disposed toward the middle of the pivot pin is connected to the plate 48, whereas the other end of the coil, which is located beyond the end of the limited from further movement by the side surface of the handle member coming up against the T curved edge of the aperture 21. It will be noted, further, that in the form shown the handle mem-. ber 24 extends from the pivot pin to a considerable degree, or, in other words, has considerable length, this being useful in avoiding any sharp bend in the conductor cord. Moreover, for the latter purpose the free'end of the handle member is preferably madebell shaped, as .shown at 40, the bell-shapedend having a flared inner surface 4| so that the cord entering the handle member, if bent or deflected to one side, will necessarily take a gradual curve corresponding to the gradual curve on the inner surface of the mouth or funnel of thehandle.

The bore in the handle member leads to longitudinal passages 42, 43 extending transversely through the pivotpin and receiving the individual wires of'the cord, which wires pass down to cut-out portions inthe lower part of the pivot pin, and are then led forwardly and upwardly so as to have their end portions arranged or clip 48, saidplate or clip having a clinchedover end portion 49 clinched on one terminalpore tion of the wire coil33. It is understood that the structure of the device adjacent the two ends of the pivot pin is the same, and the structure adjacent the right-hand end (Fig. l)v of the pivot pin is now being described by way of example. One end of the coil 33 is attached to the small plate 48, as above indicated, and the opposite end of the coil is connected as by clinching to the upper end portion of the terminal 3|, and in this instance such upper end portion has a sheet metal portion 50 clinched about the-wire. The clinched connection 49 is disposed exteriorly of the pivot pin body adjacent the end of the pivot pin, as shown in Fig. 6, and the body of the plate 48 is introduced into a slotted portion 5| in the pivot pin, which slotted portion provides a seat for the plate 48, as shown in Fig. 7, in'which seat the plate 48 is held by the clamping screw.

The wire coil 33 is disposed adjacent one end of the pivot pin, and is disposed in embracing relation to a part of the pivot pin, for which purpose the pivot pin is provided with an extension 52 in the form of a' rib that is of less diameter than the pivot pin body. This extension 52 enpivot pin, is connected to the terminal 3|.

Theindividual wires from the conductor cord,

in passing from the ducts or passages 42, 43 to clamping seats at the forward portion of the pivot pin, are extended over a part of the periphery of the pin, and this obviously is of assistance in relieving strain in the connections between the wires and the pivot pin. The helical coils of. wire arranged between the pivot pin and the terminals obviously prevent strain between the plates 'or clips such as 48 and the terminals. The plug can, therefore, stand a large amount of tension applied to the conductor. cord without injury to the connections within the plug. Moreover, the conductor cord, even if frequently flexed or bent-in the use of the electrical appliance, will not be bent adjacentthe connector plugin a manner which can injure the cord, owing to the fact that any bendingiin the region where the cord enters the plug is necessarily on a gradual curve. Moreover, 'the'present invention enables the cord angle to adjust itself to a certain extent with reference to the plug, owing to the movability of. the'externally projecting member of the plug with reference to the general plane of the casing, because this "will in many cases obviate the need of bending the cord adjacent the mouth portion of the handle member. It will be apparent from Fig. 2 that the swinging of the cord-positioning external member to an inclined position with reference to the plug body or casingwill reduce the angularity of the incoming cord, and thereby reduce strain and tension on the cord, with the accompanying harmful effects. .A further advantage of the article arises from the fact that a substantial handle portion is provided upon the plug, the-arrangement being such that the user, in disconnecting the plug, will grasp the handle rather than the-cord, thereby obviating thestrain on the conductor and its connections. The clamping screws or binding screws provided .on the pivoting portionof the movable member are located in a manner to relieve strain on the wires of the conductor. The wire coils obviously provide a flexible and movable means connecting the plate members such as 48 to the terminal members in the lower part of the easing.. The binding screws, moreover, serve a double function, in that they fix the divided wires of the cord in position, and'connect those wires electrically in aneflective manner with the connecting wires or conducting means intermediate the terminals and the binding screws, and thus the number of separate'parts employed in the manufacture of the article is reduced.

It will be manifest from the foregoing description'that the device illustratetd-comprises a connector body having terminals-adjacent one end housed in the body, andhaving the swiveling socket interiorly disposed and located toward the otherend of the body, said socket receiving a twopartimember, one of thevpart's ofxsaid'member ing equipped with binding members that bind the led-in wires from the cord, and likewise form electrical conductors conveying current from the cord to the conducting members that are connected to the plug terminals.

Only one form or the invention is shown herein, but it is understood that this is by way of example only, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the principles of the invention or the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

l. .A device such as described, comprising a body part having a pair of fixed'engageable contact terminals enclosed therein, a handle member associated with said body part and having as a part thereof a pivot member socketed and movable in said body part, the conductors extending through said handle member and strain-relief passages in the pivot member, and means for connecting said conductors with said contact terminals, said last-named means including flexible coils located exteriorly of and adjacent the ends of said pivot member and extending thence to said terminals 2. A device such as described, comprising a generally planar body made up of separable front and rear sections and having a pair of engageable contact terminals enclosed within the lower end portion thereof, said body having a, socket adjacent the upper end thereof located interiorly of the body and in communication with an aperture leading to the exterior of the body at the upper part thereof, a handle member having a pivot pin located in said socket to swing therein in a plane substantially perpendicular to the gen eral plane of the body and having a tubular neck projecting exteriorly from the body through said aperture and receiving a conductor cord, said conductor cord being divided within the body and having separate wires passing through strain-relief passages, and binding members securing said separate wires to said pivot pin and having manipulatin heads at the exterior of the pin, said binding members also securing conducting means exteriorly of the ends of the pivot pin, said conducting means including flexible wire coils connecting said binding members with said contact terminals.

3. A connector plug having a body equipped interiorly adjacent one end with fixed contact terminals and having in association with the other end a cord-guiding member mounted for limited swinging movement, said cord-guiding member comprising a swiveling pin portion mounted in a crosswise socket in the body and also comprising an exteriorly projecting cordguiding portion, said cord-guiding portion being hollow and accommodating a cord comprising two conductors, said conductors being separated from each other and extending through strain-relief passage means in the swiveling pin portion and fixedly mounted at their ends with respect to said pin portion by binding screws, and flexible conductor members extending exteriorly and longitudinally of said pin portion and presenting :a series of loops, said neidble electrical conductor members connected to said binding screws and 'to said terminals and providing strain-relief connections between the movable swiveling pin portion and the terminals.

4 A connector plug having a body equipped interiorly'adjacent one end with terminals and having in-association with the other end a cordguiding member mounted for limited swinging movement, said "cord-guiding member comprising a swiveling pin portion mounted in a crosswise socket in the body and also comprising an exteriorly protecting cord-guiding portion, said cord-guiding portion being hollow and accommodating a cord comprising two conductors, said conductors being separated from each other and extending through passage means in the swivelingpin portion and fixedly mounted at their ends with respect to said pin portion by binding screws, and flexible electrical conductor membersconnect'ed to said binding screws and to terminals and providing strain-relief connections between the movable swiveling pin portiOn and the terminals, said last-named conductor members comprising coils associated with the respective ends of said swiveling pin portion and in embracing relation to said portion.

5. A device such as described, comprising a sectional flat substantially rectangular body having a pair of engageable contact terminals enclosed within the lower part and havin at the upper part a rounded hollow enlargement extending from edge to edge, a handle member associated with said body part and having as a part thereof a pin or barrel member mounted within said enlargement for tilting movement therein and also comprising as a part thereof an exteriorly projecting cord-guiding member of hollow formation having a funnel-shaped outer end, said body part having an aperture at the upper end through which said last-named member protrudes, the aperture being located in the upper wall of the body adjacent the juncture of said last-named member with said pivot pin member and being formed to permit a limited tilting movement of said handle member, a cord extending through said handle member and having separated conductor portions extending through strain-relief portions and secured to said pin member, and means for flexibly connecting the secured ends of said separated conductor portions electrically to said contact terminals, said means being associated with and embracing the outer end portions of the pin member.

6. A device such as described, comprising a body part having a pair of engageable contact terminals enclosed therein, a handle member associated with said body part and having as a part thereof a pin member extending crosswise with respect to said body part and socketed therein and also having as a part thereof an exteriorly protruding cord-guiding part perpendicular to the pivot pin, the cord-guiding part being hollow and accommodating a cord and the pin having passages accommodating spaced apart conductor members of the cord, binding screws securing the ends of said spaced conductor members to said pivot pin, and conductor members having as integral parts thereof coils associated with the ends of the pivot pin for connecting said binding screws with said contact terminals.

'7. A device such as described, comprising a body part having a pair of engageable contact terminals enclosed therein, a handle member associated with said body, part and having as a part thereof a pin member extending crosswise with respectto said body part and socketed therein and also having as a part thereof an exteriorly protruding cord-guiding part perpendicular to the pivot pin, the cord-guiding part being hollow and accommodating a cord and the pin having passages accommodating spaced apart conductor members of the cord, binding screws securing the ends of said spaced conductor members to said pivot pin, and conductor members having coils associated with the ends of the pivot pin for connecting said binding screws with said contact terminals, said coilsembracing the end portions of said pin, and said binding screws having heads located adjacent the outer surface of said pivot pin.

8. A device such as described comprising a body part having a pair of engageable contact terminals enclosed therein, a handle member associated with said body part and having as a part thereof a pivot member socketed and mov- 8 able ..in said body part, conductors extending through, said handle member and through strainrelieving portions in the pivot member and attached by means ofibind ing screws to the lastmentioned memberzvand means for connecting said conductors; with said contact terminals, said means including flexible members located exteriorly and longitudinally of said pivot memher and presenting a series of loops of wire.

TOMUN FINIZIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following'references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,428,863 Smith Sept. 12, 1922 I 1,778,549, Conner Oct. 14, 1930 1,904,889 Strongson Apr. 18, 1933 1,961,013 Saraceno May 29, 1934 2,313,426 Forstrom Mar. 9, 1943 

